Author Topic: An Acoustic Alembic Bass? (Read 538 times)

flaxattack · « **Reply #15 on:** August 12, 2004, 09:00:04 PM »

i looked at moons too, all i can say is that if you are rich enough and/or play acoustic full time then go for it,
at 500 or so the kelly is a steal...and a quality product

dgcarbu · « **Reply #16 on:** December 30, 2004, 06:16:07 PM »

I found a used one exactly like the ones shown above at a Guitar Center for $295.00 used in excellent condition. They play really nice.

beelee · « **Reply #17 on:** December 30, 2004, 07:43:14 PM »

I purchased a new MK fretted 5 string for $320 and the case was $90, It was on Ebay and was a blemished one, I could not find anything wrong after inspecting it, the inlays are very nice and it sounds great acoustically or through an amp, I never heard of MK before and took a chance, I'm not disappointed, its the same one pictured above, I usually won't buy a bass without playing it first, unless its an Alembic or other high end bass.......Who ever heard of a bad Alembic ? I used to have a 4 str Kramer Ferrington II A/E bass, the MK blows it away.

jlpicard · « **Reply #18 on:** December 30, 2004, 10:33:34 PM »

I'd have to go with Val on this one. The Tacoma really is the best that I have found. The tone is much better than the Taylor although I liked the Taylor neck. To be fair the Taylor did sound better plugged in but acousticly, it wasn't much, especially for the price. The MK looks very nice and for around $500 I guess you can't complain too much but I have not heard one.

richbass939 · « **Reply #19 on:** December 31, 2004, 07:33:45 AM »

I have had my Tacoma Thunderchief CB10 4-string for about two years. I've been very pleased with it. It has a really nice, deep sound when played unplugged. I bought it mainly because I wanted something to play in the living room when I didn't want to play loud. Another thing that I really like is that the amplified sound is just like the acoustic sound, really nice. I didn't want the plugged sound to be much different.
It has active electronics, an L. R. Baggs pickup, volume, high/mid/low, and phase. It tends to feed back in the living room. I haven't amped it in a bigger room.
When I tried it out the shop also had a Martin, Takamine, and a Dobro bass. The Takamine had no low end, really tinny. The Dobro was kind-of cool but not what I was wanting. The Martin sounded good but I liked the Tacoma better.
It has a bolt-on neck, which I'm not crazy about, but it hasn't been a problem in any way.
I've seen a few on TV. The sound hole is a pretty distinctive shape and easy to spot. The bassist in a band that toured through town had a fretless one that he said he really liked.
I didn't get as good a deal as some of you have. I paid $1000 plus $90 or so for the case. It pays to shop around. If left to do again I would probably put the $1000 toward another Alembic (this was before I bought my Epic.) But, I'm really pleased with the bass.
Rich

(Message edited by richbass939 on December 31, 2004)

bkbass · « **Reply #20 on:** January 23, 2005, 01:40:17 PM »

Gentlemen,if you have the time go to www.guitarparlor.net. Bil Mitchell is a very fine builder.I have four of his accoustic basses and have mentioned him several times on this site.His four strings are just as loud as the single cutaway Martins and was one of the reasons I had him build for me.He has a new line called Home Grown Guitars that may include basses if he gets enough interest.I also have a taylor bass that has even less volume than usual since I have it strung with Thomastics nylon core bronze.It has it's own unique sound which is perfectly suited for recording or plugging in.In fact I haven't really heard or played any accoustic bass that didn't need some kind of extra help.Think about the size of a bass fiddle and how much volume it puts out.Isn't it also lacking volume?How about our beloved Alembics and fenders etc.,look at the refrigerator size cabinets we need to move enough air to keep up with the guitar players lunch pail size amp!I think that if it sounds good as an accoustic instrument,has a great speaking voice you should buy it.You can always plug it into a small amp to make that voice louder.Just my 0.02

exploiterplayer · « **Reply #21 on:** May 04, 2005, 10:00:17 AM »

The old Kramer Ferringtons are very good sounding acoustic basses. I gigged with one for about a year and felt the bass had a very dynamic range of acoustical and electrical tones. Also, the bass was a breeze to play. Availability might be a problem because I dont think they produced very many. I have seen a few floating aroud pawn shops for as little as $150-$250.
As far as Moonstones go....I have owned two Steve's Basses, (Eclipse Bass and an Exploder Bass) both were excellent insturments. I hear his acoustic stuff is amazing but expensive.

eastcoastepic · « **Reply #22 on:** May 04, 2005, 08:06:04 PM »

Oh, no.....not again.....
Hey Val, is it true??
I just went to the Tacoma website, and at the bottom of the page it says Copyright,2005,Fender Musical Instruments. Did Fender buy Tacoma?? Warranty repairs are now done in Tennessee...office now in Arizona. Do they still make the guitars in Washington state?? (or Guadalajara?)
The pre-Fender product was excellent; I hope it remains so........

(Sign of the Apocalypse: Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Alembic Division)

eastcoastepic · « **Reply #23 on:** May 04, 2005, 08:21:16 PM »

P.S. Sorry for any hysteria/nausea/cardiac arrythmia produced by the last sentence of the previous post; I know it's sacrilege to even suggest that.
Semper Fidelis...

valvil · « **Reply #24 on:** May 05, 2005, 05:46:54 PM »

Well, yes it is true.

Fender did buy Tacoma recently, unfortunately.
Some instruments are still made in Washington state for now. I was told at my old store that now Tacoma will emphasize low end acoustics in the 200-300 range. A pity to see an excellent American company that made great sounding mid-price guitars reduced to just another run-of-the-mill low end guitar maker. Most of the production should be moving overseas, apparently.

Valentino

bsee · « **Reply #25 on:** May 05, 2005, 07:36:24 PM »

Jeez, that's even a step down from the Olympia line. Those Tacomas were a great value in the genre and they'll be missed. Very sad.

bigredbass · « **Reply #26 on:** May 05, 2005, 11:20:08 PM »

I'm fortunate living in Nashville in that there are lots to great stores with a lot of emphasis on acoustics.

Acoustic bass guitars are something I'd love to have, but doing a 4 string is hard, and since I only play fives anymore, it's really going to take some doing to get one right. The extra pull on the top, getting any kind of acoustic push off that low B, somebody will hit it one day . . . but that day ain't here yet.

I did get to try several around town though . . .

All the cheap ones scare me, as I just know the top won't last long (remember all those 'swollen' cheap twelve strings you've seen?), so why bother (Epiphone El Capitans, Ibanez, etc.)?

I tried one of the all mahogany, cutaway Martins down at Gruhn's. Gorgeous kind of flat gingerbread color. OK, but nothing that caught my ear (and I REALLY wanted to like a Martin). They're also Tacoma dealers and the TChief was nice, but I just didn't like the way it looked.

Sam Ash had an Amber topped Taylor AB1. Really cool with the cutaway, 24 frets, NOT neck heavy (a LOT of them are), slim neck, but dead as a door nail unplugged with NEW strings (dad bronze bass). Geez.

Corner Music had one of the rare fretless Takamines. Jazz guitar shape, f-holes, and packed a telescoping stand that collapses into the body, which makes it REAL heavy strapped on. Probably as close to a faux-upright sound as these are gonna get. Even more dead than the Taylor unplugged, but a very interesting piece. Next . . . Tried its American cousin, one of the Ovation cutaways. Really nice looking, but a bass-size roundback would only work if I was 40 pounds lighter, I'm afraid I have a bit of a round front !

I was REAL impressed with a Larrivee I tried. Regular box guitar shape, 20 frets, solid spruce top, maple back and sides, wonderful tone unplugged. Of course the curse and magic of acoustic instruments is the wood. I'll have to see several more to see if they all are this good, or was this just one of the lucky ones where it all came together . . . but no five-string. But it was my-tee fiiiine, and look forward to trying a few more.

I really wish Yamaha would have made a five string BEX4. Oh well . . .

J o e y

keith_h · « **Reply #27 on:** May 06, 2005, 04:30:22 AM »

In regards to Fender purchaing Tacoma, I think it is just a testament to the sad state of afairs with US businesses. A brand with a good reputation is bought for the name and not the products underlying the brand. From there the produt becomes less relevant and always seems to go down hill. Unlike Alembic where the product is still the most important part of the equation.

Keith

exploiterplayer · « **Reply #28 on:** May 06, 2005, 03:28:15 PM »

Overbracing also seems to be a big tone killer on some of the acoustic basses I have played and examined.